McCartney noted that Trump has called climate change a "hoax." He asked, "How can a person get away with some of the things he says?" In an interview, he explained the song: "[The song] basically says, 'Occasionally, we've got a mad captain sailing this boat we're all on, and he is just going to take us to the iceberg, despite being warned it's not a good idea'”. He added that while the song references Trump, it also reflects broader concerns about similar figures.
The tweet from Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) on September 20, 2019, which shared the news, gained wide dissemination.